A Stitch in Time (Saves Nine)
by Overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: (Spoilers through Timetagger) After Timetagger zapped most of Paris throughout the span of history, it was a little more jarring than usual when Ladybug emerged victorious and magically returned everything back to normal. Yet, in spite of her magic, one man emerged very much changed… sending his own shock waves rippling into the future. Luckily, Ladybug always had a plan.
1. A Stitch in Time (Saves Nine)

Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis

Times are changed; we, too, are changed within them.

* * *

The evening hours had fallen, lights casting sharper shadows on the walls, and the usual shimmer of dust motes that hung in the air had dimmed into the darkness. Her eyes drooped, pink locks hanging into her field of vision as she scoured through the dusty bundle of tomes that she had been engrossed in for the past few hours.

Ringing sliced through the otherwise silent room. She had been saved by the bell; the Fall of Rome would have to wait.

'Then again,' Alix grinned as she rubbed her eyes, 'there would always be time later…'

She chuckled as she picked up the receiver. "Hello."

"Doctor Kubdel?" The guard called on the phone. "You have a visitor."

"Right on time." Alix smirked, peering up at the dated clock that hung of the back office wall. "Send her up please."

Sinking back into her office chair, Alix allowed herself a moment. With as long as she'd raced through the halls of the Louvre as a child, history was in her blood.

Her fingers slipped over her pocket watch—a familiar, heavy weight in her vest pocket.

Quite literally at that.

Currently, she was a historian like her father and brother before her. But unlike them, she had a little bit of an advantage. A method of research forever more certain than they would ever have—even if she didn't exactly get to pick what point in history she'd emerge...

No one knew better than she the exact history of the objects that would eventually sit in the Louvre. It was she who knew all the history that could be bent to her will… and used to save the current timeline on behalf of Ladybug.

But for all that she did know, it wasn't all that long ago that she'd finally figured out who had the sometimes haunted eyes behind the red and black spotted mask.

So when Marinette called, Alix would always answer. Especially as that help no longer involved tossing flower petals in aid of Marinette's formerly fruitless romantic pursuits.

Eventually, Marinette had managed to charm the extraordinarily dense Parisian teen model. Alix wasn't even sure how; it had only taken years.

Alix shook her head fondly. She liked Adrien. As they'd grown, it was easy to see he had been really, really good for Marinette. She was happy they were together.

Even if the pair of them tended to give her cavities when she was around them in large enough doses.

She shook her head. As Ladybug, Marinette still worked seamlessly with Chat Noir, but it seemed that Chat Noir's flirtatious antics had only slightly mellowed with time.

Alix sighed. If only time had made Chat Noir grow up. Well-meaning though he was, Chat could be spectacularly dense. Secretly, she was reasonably sure he was happy enough in his own relationship… and was generally playing into the city's expectations.

What Alix just hated, though, was Chat's occasional thoughtlessness. It had broken her own Miraculous once, and it had caused Marinette pain more times than she could count. And an anxious Marinette would occasionally make some dumb moves.

And when that happened, it was Paris that suffered…

At least until she was given the chance to help clean it up.

The sure and steady clip of heels echoed in the halls... a single, solid knock on the heavy oak door was her only warning before the doorway opened.

"Hey, Alix!" Marinette smiled softly.

The museum guard ushered her inside.

Marinette obliged. The soft fall of her red skirt trailing behind her as she glided inside. "I'm afraid I'm in need of your... expertise…"

Alix nodded, glancing back to the guard. "I'll see her out when I leave."

With a smile, the guard tugged the door closed and whistled as he trotted back down the hall.

Neither of them moved a muscle, carefully watching the door until the sound of his whistle and the noisy door down the hallway squeaked closed.

"As I said on the phone," Marinette started, tugging an envelope out of her purse. "I really do need a favor."

Alix sat up a bit straighter, as Marinette handed her an envelope. Alix arched an eyebrow, half expecting another classmate's wedding invite.

"What's this?" She mused aloud, noting the few solemn words on the outside.

"A problem that needs fixing." The dark circles under her friend's eyes spoke volumes. "Adrien is getting angrier… having nightmares about things that didn't happen."

"Didn't happen?"

"I know that you know what I'm talking about, Alix." Marinette's eyes grew firm but serious, evoking the red mask across her otherwise weary features. "Even if you've kept it quiet."

Alix blinked, crossing her arms over her chest. She might be the only one who knew who Ladybug was. But the very nature of her powers meant that she cannot—and will not—say her roles exists mostly out of any timelines.

"You're worried, then?" Alix mused, leaning back against her desk.

"I think we've meddled with the timeline. Something was done—or said—that's tipped the balance…" Marinette sighed, pacing the length of the room between the bookcases. "Even if I can't imagine what that might be… But I have to assume it has to do with his Father."

"The butterfly effect." Alix nodded sagely, lips curving sharply with mischievous humor.

"Alix…" Marinette groaned, closing her eyes as she massaged the bridge of her nose. "You've been hanging out with Chat again, haven't you…?"

Alix simply smirked. "Not with his tendency to break things…"

At least that earned her a chuckle.

Alix's eyes narrowed, taking in the thinner look around Marinette's face and the bags clearly forming beneath her eyes. "You really think we've altered the timeline this time?"

Marinette nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can't help but think that. Usually, Adrien feels guilty enough for his father's sins on a normal day, even if he would never openly admit it. But these past few days since that battle with Timetagger? His nightmares have grown so vivid… and he's talking in his sleep." She shook her head, pain clear in her gaze. "I worry that it's going to wake one of the kids..."

Ruthlessly, Alix snorted, mentally amending her prior statement about not knowing how the two had come together. Marinette's tenacity was clearly the reason she'd been able to woo Adrien, and eventually charm the pants right off him… especially if their three children were any indication.

Marinette frowned, as Alix waved an apologetic hand.

It was easy enough to forget about the little rugrats when her own… research sometimes took her away for months or years on end. "Sorry. I keep forgetting just how important sleep really is for you all with kids…"

"So, you'll do it?"

Reassuringly, Alix nodded, making a grand show of slipping the envelope into the pocket of her vest and ushering her old friend out into the back hall.

"Don't worry, Marinette." Alix winked, locking up her office. "I'll hop to it."

Marinette's shouted "Alix!" echoed through the long hallway.

* * *

Tempo, you asked for Fluff and Angst...and since I know longer know how to effectively oneshot, this ended up multi-chapter so I can tackle - and deliver on - both.

I've got the draft about 95% done right now and should be dropping a chapter a day over the next week. :)

Thanks as always to Kellarhi for beta reading. 3


	2. Out of Time

Alix grinned, scouring the house for one final object as she prepared to go on her mission. She'd set out a whole bushel of carrots at her desk to feed Fluff while she pulled every last detail into order.

She never had been one to turn down a challenge. And it was a heady feeling, knowing that Ladybug herself trusted her—and only her—with this task that landed so close to home.

Alix tugged the blackout curtains closed—hoping it would be enough—so she could hide away from any prying eyes, and mask her transformation while she quickly hopped through time.

But this time, unlike most of the others, she had a bit of time to spare to plan herself.

The Adrien she knew now? He was so suspicious.

That was probably with good reason, considering all he'd gone through.

But all of her recent interactions with the present day Adrien was muddying her memory of the much younger boy she might have to interact with today.

Alix's eyes narrowed, pressing her fingertips to her temples to soothe the headache that was already starting to form.

She would, of course, take the letter from Marinette. But she couldn't be sure that the Adrien of the past wouldn't be just as suspicious as the current one would be of a new holder just showing up in his room. Mini Minou and Baby Bug had been hard enough to persuade. But they also had the benefit of watching her emerge from an artifact and detransform (with her own young self waiting in the wings).

She needed something… a "proof of concept", as it were...

She couldn't exactly repeat her trick from last time. There wouldn't be anything in Adrien's room that she could sneak into and break free from.

Well...maybe that massive piano…? But really, she wasn't even sure when he'd received it. And her younger self wouldn't have had access to Adrien's room. Especially since his closest friends at the time were already denied entry.

As it was, just the thought of traipsing right into the belly of the beast was threatening to give her hives.

Alix paced the hardwood of her living room floor. She wasn't about to risk herself like that. Not without Fluff's protection… she sighed, looking over to the Kwami, who was ambling about wordlessly, devouring carrot after carrot.

Alix lingered before the photo collage on her wall, which held a surprising number of moments she'd shared with friends she'd kept from her days at Collège Françoise Dupont. Their class had always been tight knit, especially in the wake of the Akuma attacks that perpetually rocked Paris. Unlike most of their other peers, most of her core group had actually gone on to wed their college sweethearts. Marinette and Adrien were married shortly after Alya and Nino… yet much later than Ivan and Mylene.

Her eyes stopped when they reached a particular image— one from Adrien and Marinette's wedding. Mylene herself was heavily pregnant in the photo. And Rose had snagged the bouquet, that lead to her wedding to Juleka not that long after.

She slipped the picture of the small group loose of its frame. She could always ask for another copy from Alya later.

It wouldn't do for him to see himself while he was older—there was just too much risk of influence. And any sign of Marinette in a veil might bring up too many questions she really didn't want. Since Ladybug was already concerned about something that had altered the future, Alix didn't dare introduce anything else that could skew it further astray.

However, if she got caught, she wanted to be able to explain herself. To prove to him that she was who she claimed to be.

She was, after all, about to venture into the lion's den.

All while Adrien was none the wiser to the threat his father posed...

* * *

"Nathalie?"

Bunnyx froze in the middle of the room, wide-eyed in panic. She had only just slipped through time and into the massive room beside the couch, barely able to get her own bearings before Gabriel's forceful tone echoed through the hall near his door.

"Wasn't Adrien supposed to be practicing his piano?"

"Let me check sir."

Bunnyx scrambled, peering down at the keys—only to find a slim audio player. Carefully, she pressed the play button and leapt up onto the second floor.

She frowned, and listed, ears perked and at the ready, hardly even daring to breathe. There was no telling where Adrien had gone, but letting him get in trouble wasn't going to endear herself to him any…

Besides, props to Sunshine for managing to sneak out of his cage.

The light footfalls of the secretary slipped towards the door, only slowing slightly as the music ebbed a bit louder.

Bunnyx hugged her shoulders, preparing to hop at a moment's notice. Skittish as she felt, she had to wonder just how Adrien had survived it all.

Questions had run for weeks on end as to just who in the Agreste household had been complicit in the sin's of Adrien's Father.

Ignorance itself must have been bliss… Alix frowned.

She herself had a Father who was often not around—busy with his own career pursuits. But at least her Father had given her affection… and the freedom to figure out who she was—who she wanted to be—all on her own.

They were also modestly wealthy… but nothing like this. Adrien's own room could hold the whole of the fairly lavish home that she and Jalil had grown up in.

She breathed a shaky sigh of relief once it was clear the knock would never come and the secretary's steps were rushing away, but she immediately tensed again as she gave the room more than a cursory glance. Gabriel Agreste was the kind of man who kept his son in a golden cage. There was no telling if he was also the kind of man that it had just as many cameras inside the house as without.

Satisfied there was no extra monitoring within his room, Bunnyx shuffled free of her ersatz burrow... puzzling the best place to leave the letter so that Adrien would find it, but his guardians would not…

Moving only when she was sure the music was loud enough to mask her presence, Bunnyx hopped down the stairs.

Scanning the main portion of his room, she decided that the desk seemed as good an option as any. There were a multitude of DVDs and books… but she couldn't exactly count on Adrien to open any specific one of those when he would be needing extra help.

Quickly, Bunnyx pulled the letter from her pocket, slipping it into the furthest corner of his desk drawer before letting it quietly slide closed. The photo she'd brought for potential proof fell— unseen—at her feet… drifting out of sight beneath the desk.

The close call with Adrien's guardians had her on edge, so she decided it was better not to stick around since the mission was accomplished. It seemed that Adrien had managed to get out and was probably already reaching out to others in ways that would help mend the future version of himself.

Suddenly, a scraping noise came from the window across the room, startling her… there was a dark figure trying to pry Adrien's window free.

Bunnyx jolted. She wasn't sure if there was an Akuma inbound, but she didn't want to stick around and find out.

But if Adrien wasn't here, she figured he had to be safe for the moment.

And that meant it was time to hightail out of there.


	3. Only Time Will Tell

Chat Noir slipped into his room, dropping his transformation once he his feet touched the floor. Plagg didn't even waste a moment before diving through the walls of the mini fridge for his reward.

Adrien shook his head, peeking around the room carefully. He could have sworn for a moment that he'd spotted a flash of light.

That was troubling. What if his Father had taken to putting up cameras in his room, too? Plagg himself wouldn't be captured on film… but his secret exits into the night would for sure.

His time at school had already been threatened more than once...and he just couldn't go back to being tutored from home.

And no matter what, he wasn't about to let Ladybug down…

This Akuma had taken a long time—far longer than he expected. He rushed back as quickly as could, though he was loathe to leave his Lady's side.

His audio player only ran for so long, and he was cutting it close as it was…

As Adrien lingered beside the piano, puzzling over his escape arrangements, Plagg gleefully forced the fridge door open, emerging with a mountain of Camembert stacked upon his paws.

He dumped his haul out onto the desk, taking stock of the choicest bit to devour first. Teeth noshing noisily, he curled up on the desk with a well deserved laze in the last of the day's sunlight.

It was only when he was nearly through his third chunk that Plagg noticed the corner of the picture sticking out from beneath the desk, where the wood didn't sit evenly on the ground.

Adrien had picked up the audio player from the piano standing, puzzling over it as the music was nowhere close to ending yet. He glanced over to the alarm clock on his bedside table.

"It should have finished by now…" The kid raked his hand along on the nape of his neck. "I mean… I'm really glad it didn't. But it doesn't make sense."

Blinking slowly, Plagg pushed his Camembert aside for the moment. Flitting down to the floor, he tugged the picture loose. His jaw gaped... stunned at the sight.

He recovered before Adrien could notice anything was amiss..

"Oh, I dunno…" Plagg sneered gleefully, dropping the picture on top of the baby grand piano. "I think it might make a good deal more sense than you think." He immediately returned to his mini mountain of cheese on the desk.

Adrien blanched, peering down at the mostly familiar—yet clearly older—faces of his classmates...

In fact, it seemed that everyone in the photo was from his current class, with a couple of exceptions… himself… and Marinette.

And Lila Rossi...

Plagg peered back over from the desk, pleased enough that he wasn't the only one so shocked.

Adrien continued studying the image with stunned curiosity, before asking no one in particular...

"Where exactly did this come from, and what does this mean…?"


	4. Time Enough (For Love?)

Chat Noir stretched slowly, before he bounded out into the dusk. It would have been a quiet evening if not for the the Akuma attack from not even an hour ago...

Well, that, and the surreptitious visitor he'd missed…

But the evening's events had left him entirely unable to sleep.

Luckily, he wasn't the only one. Marinette yawned... curled up on her rooftop while slowly sketching with a thin blanket around her shoulders.

Chat waved down at her from above before realizing that she was too engrossed to notice. Instead, he lightly tossed the letter down into her lap.

She blinked, gazing upwards in shock, before chuckling sleepily. "I didn't expect a restless Kitty to practically fall into my lap."

Chat smirked. "I only tossed a letter down to you. I didn't throw myself."

Marinette arched a brow, turning her focus onto that letter.. "No. That's true. You only throw yourself at Ladybug."

Chat looked momentarily wounded and then affected it more dramatically. Her barb was a lot sharper than he'd expected, but not exactly inaccurate. "Ouch. I see I'm not the only one with claws."

"Sorry, Chat. I'm really tired." Marinette sighed, peering down at the unopened letter resting atop her open sketchbook. Her fingertips tapped at the letter pointedly. "What is this about anyways?"

"Don't you recognize it?"

Marinette's eyes narrowed, but she humored Chat Noir for the moment. "Nope."

"Really?" Chat frowned, as he pounced down onto the roof beside her. "I thought for sure…"

Marinette shook her head. "I mean the writing looks a little similar to mine… and while I barely remember to sign my name when leaving a letter, I would remember at least writing it. But I don't really leave letters for people. Not outside of my family and friends, anyways.

He sighed, slumping against the brick. "I hardly know what to make of it."

"You got that letter?" Marinette blanched, even in the dim wreath of fairy lights that hung over her head.

Chat nodded. "It was left… in my room." He grinned at the memory of Plagg delighting in making a mess while Adrien had gone with the more sensible route… and came across the letter. "I… had to look everywhere to see if I could understand how it got there. My father is a little… overprotective, so it is very rare that I have even have friends up in my room."

Marinette glanced over at him… concern marring her features. She hugged her arms around her knees.

Chat Noir shook his head. "I… found something else. A picture."

"A picture?" she echoed.

He nodded, standing up to the pace the rooftop. "I don't know if you remember Timetagger…"

Marinette gaped, blue eyes wide. She hadn't said a word, but considering how close she was to Alya, it was clear she knew… and was already connecting the dots.

Chat sighed. "We had a little help. That picture… well, it showed the lady behind the mask. Along with some others I recognized as familiar. But I had to look a bit closer to realize why."

Marinette looked a bit dazed, but was clearly listening to his tale with bated breath.

"The help she gave us during that battle? It bridged between the current time… and the future." Chat Noir leaned back against the rail, peering back at Marinette from afar. "But that picture definitely didn't come from today."

"You think someone was sending you a message from the future?"

"I don't know what else to think." Chat Noir sighed, shoulders slumping. He gripped the metal rail at the edge of her balcony more tightly for support. "Except... it came to the 'person behind the mask'…"

"And you're telling me because…"

"Because I can't tell Ladybug. There's too much risk that I'll slip up. And like it or not, you're already going to be involved in this mess. Because that letter was the only other thing changed in my room after her visit."

"And if I haven't written it now… then I must have done so in the future." Marinette was carefully eyeing the letters on the envelope, trying to parse some hidden meaning. "You didn't try to open it, did you?"

He shook his head. "It says specifically to only open when things are at their worst. Hawkmoth may be a bit more obnoxious lately, but I've had far more worse in my life than things are right now…"

"Chat…" Marinette whispered, a little dazed as she tugged the blanket more tightly about her shoulders. "Why aren't you talking about this to Ladybug?"

He winced. "Because of the way it came, especially. She doesn't want to know who I am behind the mask. I can't tell you how many times she's told me it isn't safe. I'm afraid that I might accidentally give something away."

Marinette eyed him with a strained expression—she already knew he was well on his way to inadvertently doing exactly what he was trying to avoid, even if he wasn't aware of it yet.

"Do you have any idea why you might write something like that?"

* * *

Marinette shook her head no, and was momentarily lost in thought.

From what he's mentioned, it's clear now that they both know who Bunnix is, and they know the general limits on her powers and the usage thereof.

They both also know her future self must have asked this favor from Bunnix. But as to the why… she wasn't coming up with any good answer.

Not one that wouldn't hurt Chat Noir.

One scenario she thought up was that he might be close to Hawkmoth… or he might be close to someone who might get hurt. If either came true, she imagined that would be reason enough to reach for a lifeline from the future… the alternative could mean ending up in a much darker place…

"Chat…" she began, "I'm not clear what my motivations would be for writing a letter and then having it delivered to you that way. I'm as baffled as you are about why I would write to you, and what I might have said. I'm honestly a little curious about the version of me that wrote this letter—am I writing to you as that version of me, or was the letter supposed to look as if it came from the teenaged version of me… or were you supposed to even know it was from me?"

He watched her expression change as the questions bounced through her mind.

"It looks like it's supposed to be a supportive letter, to help you through something big. Honestly that scares me—how are you and your civilian counterpart central to the future events that spurred this letter into existence? What's going to happen—because unless something happens, there would be no reason to mess with time travel and send this to you…" she paused, not liking this train of thought one bit.

"You know that you've got friends, right?" Marinette stood up, walking over to stand beside him.

If Chat lost someone precious to him… he wouldn't be able to really keep that stifled. She knew that he would seek solace, and even if he couldn't say who the person was, Ladybug would still be there for him…

She bit her lip. Surely, he couldn't doubt that… after all, they were still fighting side by side years into the future. Bunnix had to be several years older than them at very least.

Which meant that her first instinct about Hawkmoth might well be the right one.

Chat was quiet and withdrawn. "There isn't much more that could really be taken from me as a civilian. I've got friends at school. And Ladybug is the best friend I could ever ask for…" Glowing green eyes slid shut, carrying a far heavier weight than she'd ever realized. "But one of my parents… is gone. The other barely even has time for me. That's half of why it is so easy for me to steal away and fight Akuma with Ladybug…"

He looked so distraught and forlorn, Marinette almost wasn't sure just what to do.

Blushing fiercely, she wrapped her arms wrapped around Chat. Dolefully, he slumped against her, practically melting in her arms... his lanky, taller form curling around her to drop his forehead onto her shoulder.

"Oh… Chaton…" she breathed, hoping the sound was carried away on the wind.

There wasn't much else she could do or say now without finding out much more than she'd ever intended. Much more than she already knew.

Gleaning any other information was far too much risk if she wanted to keep her partner safe.

Chat Noir sighed. "I'm just worried that I am going to let Ladybug down."

"I'm sure that's almost impossible…"

Her mind still raced, furiously struggling to connect the dots. Hawkmoth already appeared to be a bit more desperate;He'd had a harder edge since they'd taken on Timetagger.

Somehow, that didn't bode well for Chat… it seemed that the boy under the mask had to be close enough to Hawkmoth to be at risk of losing something or someone. And, whatever happens is destructive enough for her to have risked Timeline exposure, even if only under the radar. She set her face in determination, lightly stroking his back.

"I can only guess at what that letter might say inside, Chat. But if Ladybug doesn't know who you are in the future, then she must be worried. Maybe she thinks my words could help you, though I'm not sure why she'd think that…"

He exhaled sharply. "They do…"

"Oh…" She breathed, noticing the baby fine hairs at the nape of his neck because he was pressed so close to her. She rubbed her fingertips comfortingly along his shoulders. "Maybe…" She trailed off, frowning sharply as she fought to dismiss her first instinct. "Maybe she wanted to be doubly sure that that you didn't isolate yourself… if something bad happened."

"Then you think something bad really might happen?"

"Hey." She chided, pulling away so she could meet his eyes. "The future isn't set in stone, right? Maybe Ladybug saw something that worried her… and, she always has a bunch of plans, right?"

He sniffled softly. "What about the picture?"

Marinette hummed. "Only the one superhero can travel through time, right?"

Chat nodded, tilting his head curiously.

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest. The picture must have come from Bunnyx's future self… which could mean that something went wrong? But Chat's baton made an appearance that day when they fought Timetagger. So she could only assume that meant he was still going to be around, helping Ladybug…

"Well… if your superhero identity is still safe in the future, she would have only been approaching your civilian side… so, maybe she was only planning on using it as a contingency. What if she just wanted to explain her presence if she was caught without doing anything drastic enough to change the current course for the future? If you were in her position, you'd want to be able to reasonably explain things, right?"

Chat agreed, though still looked quite puzzled. "Except I'm not even in the picture… This… time traveler clearly knows the people in the picture, and knows that I am familiar with… some of them. In part because of this role… and some outside of it."

Marinette winced, pointedly turning away. Chat was trying so hard to be careful, but he had no way to know he was failing so utterly because she couldn't say she was Ladybug; at times like this, she really wished she wasn't so awful at lying because she was starting to have trouble navigating this slippery slope.

"Maybe she thought if you saw yourself, it might tell you too much about who you might be in that future?"

He shook his head. "That doesn't exactly explain why I wasn't the only one…" He trailed off, peering over at her in question.

"Hmmm?"

Chat blinked, shaking his head. "Never mind…"

She could swear his cheeks looked a bit darker, but she couldn't be sure that wasn't just a trick of the light. "If you're sure…."

Well cuddled, but still more somber than she'd liked, Chat Noir pulled away. "At least everyone there in that photo looked happy, even if in the future the Akuma are still around." He subtly wiped at his eyes and tugged the baton free from its holster. "I should probably go. It's a lot later than I'd planned on being out."

Marinette bit her lip. "Are you alright now?"

Chat's rueful grin grew crooked. "Not as much as I'd like… but much better than I was."

She rubbed her arms, watching as he prepared to embark with his usual hint of showmanship.

Her eyes narrowed, as a thought broke through the mental noise. "Can I ask you a question?"

Chat nodded, steadying his grip on his baton as he prepared to set out. "Not sure I can answer… but you can try."

Marinette tilted her head. "How did you know that looked like my writing?"

"Oh! That's easy." Chat grinned, clearly in far better spirits. "I recognized it from your autograph…"


	5. Third Time Lucky

Marinette groaned, tossing her comforter fitfully to the side.

She hadn't slept…Not one wink, for the entire evening.

Chat might be feeling better—and for that she was glad—but she was a wreck.

Chat had barely leapt off her rooftop when Marinette replayed his words in her mind… eyes widening in realization. She'd only ever done one autograph. And he'd seen it—the one on that Jagged Stone CD.

Just a single autograph. Not even Alya had asked…

Then again, Alya had enough of her doodles and notes at home to make a fortune if Marinette ever did truly become a famous designer.

He'd tried to cover it up, a little after the fact, but by then it was too little too late.

It's almost unbelievable… she doesn't want to believe it. But nothing else made sense.

Marinette dragged her fingers through her sleep mussed hair.

Maybe Chat Noir just passed by Adrien's window on patrol. And spotted the CD; his powers of perception and keen vision giving him enough clarity to recognize her signature.

She bit her lip, flopping one arm onto the pillow above her head.

"Chat Noir has been here to visit...and fight off Akuma a bunch of times. If he was Adrien…" Her eyes widened as she stared at Tikki. "Then he must have seen the totographs IN PERSON!

Marinette stifled a scream into her pillow. "No wonder Adrien had asked if she was lying that day..."

"Photographs?" Tikki chimed in sleepily.

Marinette blinked, rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Tikki. Did I say something out loud?"

* * *

Marinette might be running on fumes, but no matter what else, she had a plan.

In the early morning hours, she sent a message to Chat Noir, asking him to patrol.

Then she'd texted Alya, asking for a favor. The eye roll emoji she'd gotten back assured her that Alya was certain this was just another one of her harebrained schemes to ask Adrien out.

But when Nino elbowed Adrien before class started, then asked him about grabbing lunch together, Marinette was glad that at least her best friend had humored her request.

She worried her lip something awful while Adrien ever-so-sweetly apologized, casually mentioning a surprise photo shoot over lunch.

The coincidence only fed her theory.

* * *

Marinette scrambled home for lunch, snagged a sandwich on her plate, then took it up to her room to work on "homework".

She just didn't tell her Mother it wouldn't be in their home.

A few short minutes later she arrived... surprised that the window was unlocked…

But the picture… that "future" picture is in his room… tucked in his desk where he'd thoughtlessly mentioned he'd found the letter… of warning. And her autograph? That was along the back wall, part that couldn't be so damaged by the light.

She carefully closed the drawer after verifying its contents. Should she open the letter? No. Part of her really wanted to open it and find out what it said… after all, she was going to be the one writing it anyways. But if it was meant for her, she would have sent it to herself. This was for his eyes only, specifically for a time where he would need it.

She was positive now that her future self had asked Bunnyx to do this. But as to the why… she wasn't coming up with any good answer.

* * *

Chat returned from his patrol quickly… one of the benefits in not having Ladybug with him to make sure it was more thorough.

He didn't notice that her red and black spotted legs were dangling from his second floor balcony right away. But when he did see her, he jumped… face immediately red from the blush that took it over.

"And what, pray tell, are you doing here, Kitty?" There was a thread of steel in her voice, mostly because he'd given himself away so easily.

"I could ask you the same, my Lady." He bowed deeply, eyes narrowed in confusion as he peered up at her.

"I heard something about an autograph, and came to see it for myself…" She stood up slowly… menacingly. "You gave yourself away so easily. Marinette had been gushing about signing that autograph before. Did you ever know she only ever gave out one…?"

His face paled as he realized her implications.

Ladybug hopped down over the railing of the balcony, wheeling him back towards the window just by jabbing her finger at his chest.

Realizing there was no way to backpedal, Plagg spiraled free from the transformation, and threatened to find some popcorn. Ladybug's firm gaze managed to quiet him (for now).

Adrien's back finally hit the wall. He frowned, as he slid down against it feeling defeated… he thought he'd made it clear that he didn't want Ladybug to find out. He was a little sad and frustrated that Marinette would have talked.

"Listen, Ladybug… I can explain. I was worried about all of the mess - and what all this warning must mean." His eyes slid closed as he hung his head. "I would never want to let you down. I just… I can't believe Marinette told you. I was really trying to work this out on my own."

"Actually, Chaton. She didn't." Ladybug's gaze flicked sideways—away from him—almost a little embarrassed.

Puzzled, Adrien looked up at her from where he was still slumped against the wall. "If not her, how?"

Ladybug seemed to evade the question, but remained firm as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm really not sure I like you stuck in here all alone, given the implications of that letter…"

The look he continued to give her showed he still had no clue what was going on.

She reached out a gentle hand, setting it on his shoulder. All too much like a cat, he tensed up beneath her fingers, but started to calm under her equally gentle tone. "Soooo… I know I live over a bakery, but maybe I can change my parents minds on keeping a cat."

His eyes widened, and he snorted awkwardly as her words landed.

Ladybug just chuckled. "From time to time, anyways…"

"Marinette?" He looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time as he scrambled to his feet. The span of a breath hadn't passed before he'd wrapped his arms around her and hugged her… then picked her up to spin her in a joyous circle.

Ladybug just laughed. "And if not… I'm pretty sure anyone else in class would be happy to help you. No matter what it is you need."

He broke apart the hug, smiling at the amazing person in front of him... clearly just as smitten as ever.

She returned the smile… "No matter what lies ahead."

* * *

The photo was interesting. It definitely seemed to be from a wedding; getting Alix to dress up would probably be impossible otherwise. Plus there was the bouquet Rose was holding. He still couldn't puzzle out just who was getting married, but that really didn't matter. He brought it up to her.

"I thought you were far more clever than that, Chaton." Marinette teased.

The look that crossed Adrien's face was definitely Chat's unrestrained pout, and she couldn't deny... the effect on her heart was jarring at best.

Clearing her throat, she tapped the edge of the photo. "Unless you've been carrying a torch for Lila all this time…"

Adrien choked. "Hardly…"

"Hmmm well, I might have heard a rumor about a certain designer hopeful… with a rather hopeless crush on a friend who gave her an umbrella…"

He just gaped, smiling happily at her before lowering his face to hers and nuzzling his own forehead to hers.

"I bet he would be ecstatic…" Adrien murmured, letting his eyes slide closed. "Assuming he ever figured that out."

She tapped a finger to her cheek. "Well, I don't know. He does seem to be a little dense about things like that."

Adrien cuddled her more fiercely. "I knew the future wasn't set in stone."

* * *

A few hours later, as Marinette was getting ready to slip into her own bed, her phone rang.

"Wait a minute." Green eyes peered suspiciously back at her via Facetime. "You did lie!"

She blanched, tucking a loose lock behind her ear. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"With… all the photos! When Jagged was in your house?"

"Honestly, I still can't believe you bought that excuse." She blushed furiously and stifled a giggle. "You were probably the only one. And frankly, I'm awful at lying."

Adrien's smile softened, tucking the phone up against his pillow, close to his face. "Honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way."


	6. Time After Time

Alix sat at the bar, meeting up with her old friends at their annual class reunion.

She tipped a small nod to Adrien and Marinette; she rarely saw them out, but did know they maintained a weekly date night.

Adrien met her gaze and walked over. He subtly slipped Alix a sheet of paper.

Puzzled, Alix flipped over the thicker photo paper, fingers carefully noting the soft wrinkling with the handling of age.

Slowly, she flipped the picture, feeling the sudden weight of history.

She was initially shocked to know he had kept it all these years; however, knowing him, she figured young Adrien probably kept carrying it this entire time to make sure his older self wouldn't get into trouble.

Sure enough, he explained in the next breath. "I had to hold onto this until it was safe, but I'm pretty sure this belongs to you?"

She chuckled… there were only two people that knew her alter ego. And, like a shit, he'd just clearly outed himself as Chat Noir…

Suddenly their incredibly deep and abiding affection made entirely too much sense.

"Thanks for holding onto it." she acknowledged, before he drifted back over to his lady.

Most everyone seemed quite happy. Even Chloe seemed bemused, if a little extra inebriated.

Maybe not Lila, who she noticed was scowling sharply at Marinette and Adrien and their very obvious public displays of affection from her table in the corner. She'd always seemed to have it out for Marinette in particular… Alix shrugged.

Adrien had his arms wound around Marinette... it was obvious on first glance how much she meant to him. Alix was amused at how it was possible for him to linger closer than he had been... he was far more of a smitten kitten than she'd ever recognized.

Alix rolled her eyes, watching Adrien practically nuzzling his wife—cat that he definitely was.

She'd need to book an appointment with Max. She could already feel the cavities brewing...

Alya ambled over to the bar and set her empty glass down, standing beside Alix. "Hey, can I get that bottle now please?" she asked the bartender. Noticing Alix, she traced her gaze, then snorted at the spectacle.

"They're ridiculous… it's like they think they're still newlyweds." Alix grumbled before taking a sip of her drink.

Alya chuckled. "They've always been bad. You know?" She took a longer than usual swig. Nino was on travel for work and missing this particular get together. Alya seemed to be drinking her way through his absence. "... once they both got their heads together, of course. Then, they couldn't see anyone else..."

"You might be right about that." Alix smirked, lifting her glass in Alya's direction as Alya headed back to her table with another bottle of wine. She'd never be able to tell Alya just how right she was.

She tilted her own glass up to her lips once more. "Then again, it might just be a little bit of the butterfly effect…"

* * *

Author's Notes:

First WIP completed in a bit! (First of many, I hope!) :D

I hope you've all enjoyed this one!

Thanks again to Kellarhi for beta reading throughout. 3


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